Sky adds three new original titles to Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and Sky Crime slate

Sky marks first Netflix co-production with Predators for Sky Nature

Sky Documentaries feature documentary highlights the intriguing story of Manchester scientist Lee White in his role as Gabon's environment minster

Sky Crime series investigates the truth behind mysterious deaths in paradise island

Sky today announced a slate of three new Sky Original documentaries launching across Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and Sky Crime this year. The new original commissions reinforce Sky's commitment to provide customers with a destination for premium and diverse factual content. 

The newly commissioned documentaries include blue-chip natural history series Predators, which marks Sky's first co-production with Netflix, will follow six apex predators as they face the ultimate survival test in ever-changing landscapes. The landmark six-part series will premiere on Sky Nature in the UK, Germany and Italy in Winter 2022. A recently announced trailer for the series can be viewed here.

Sky Documentaries original film, Gabon (w/t) will explore the extraordinary story of a scientist from Manchester, who became the Environment Minister of Central African country Gabon after forming an unlikely friendship with President Ali Bongo. The country, also known as the 'Earth's second lung', is at the heart of the global fight against environmental destruction and climate change. The feature length film will premiere on Sky Documentaries later this year.

On Sky Crime, Death on The Beach will examine the tragic roll call of numerous young travellers who have died under mysterious circumstances on the popular, remote backpacking Thai island, Koh Tao. The documentary will highlight the story of Chrissie Annesley, who travelled to the island in 2015 on a trip of a lifetime but was found dead in her beach hut two weeks later.  Death on the Beach will be available on Sky Crime in March 2022.

Poppy Dixon, director of documentaries and factual commissioning at Sky, said: "We are committed to bringing innovative and original factual programming to our customers and this year is no different. Across Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and Sky Crime, our audiences will travel the globe, witnessing epic scenes as apex predators protect their position at the top of the food chain, meeting an environmental odd couple in a race to protect Gabon's natural resources and searching for the truth behind mysterious deaths on a paradise island in Southeast Asia."

Brand new in 2022, the newly commissioned titles are currently in production and will air throughout the year and will also be available on streaming service NOW. 

Sky Documentaries is the home of world-class, real-life stories from award-winning and emerging film makers, including new Sky Original documentaries, as well as acquisitions from HBO, SHOWTIME(R) and beyond. With a mix of feature length documentaries and limited series that challenge, provoke and entertain, the channel explores a broad range of topics from sport and real-world controversies through to biographies of some of the world's most famous and infamous people. 

Sky Nature is the home of breath-taking natural history programming and is dedicated to exploring the beauty and wonder of the natural world and inspiring us all to do more to look after it.

Sky Crime is the home of premium true crime original series and high-end US true crime from Oxygen and HBO. 

Show information:

Predators 

In this compelling new blue-chip nature series, six apex predators face the ultimate test to survive as their rapidly changing world impacts both their own lives and that of the wild kingdoms over which they rule. Those at the top are now being challenged. Territories are being redrawn and new relationships formed. 

In this ever-shifting landscape, each predator must overcome new challenges and grasp new opportunities. For Polar Bears in Canada, Wild Dogs in Zimbabwe, Pumas in Chile, Lions in Botswana, Brown Bears in Russia, and Cheetahs in Tanzania, this is the ultimate power struggle. The stakes have never been higher - who will win and who will lose?  

We follow the stories of these six apex predators at a critical moment in their lives as they attempt to secure the future for the next generation.  Grappling with multiple responsibilities these are deadly hunters, caring parents, and cunning survivors who hold secrets and thrilling stories in their quest to survive. 

Produced by True to Nature and Sky Studios, in association with Netflix. This Sky Original series is commissioned by Zai Bennett, Sky's managing director of content and Poppy Dixon, director of documentaries and factual. Predators is directed by Dan Smith and executive produced by Wendy Darke. The show runner for the series is Vanessa Coates

Gabon (w/t)

Gabon (w/t) tells the extraordinary story of a scientist from Manchester, who ended up as the Environment Minister of Gabon, and in an unlikely pairing with President Ali Bongo, is at the forefront of the global fight against rainforest destruction and climate change.

This is an 'enviro-thriller' that we all have a stake in. Gabon is one of only five remaining countries in the world that absorbs more carbon than it emits; if we lose their trees, we lose the fight against climate change. Sitting in the heart of the Congo Basin, known as 'earth's second lung', the country is still 80% rainforest. But corruption, crime cartels and the red tape and bureaucracy of climate negotiations are all threatening to derail Minister Lee White's plans.

Produced by Keo Films in association with Sky Studios. The Sky Original film is commissioned by Zai Bennett, Sky's managing director of content, Poppy Dixon, director of documentaries and factual and Hayley Reynolds, commissioning editor. Distribution is managed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution on behalf of Sky Studios. Gabon (w/t) is directed by Gavin Searle, executive produced by Will Anderson and Adrian Pennick and produced by Jacky Sloane.

Death on the Beach  

In 2015, Chrissie Annesley travelled to the paradise island of Koh Tao, Thailand on a trip of a lifetime.  Two weeks later, she was found dead in her beach hut. Chrissie joined the tragic roll call of numerous young travellers who have died under mysterious circumstances on this most remote of Thailand's islands. Were their deaths from misadventure, or part of a series of violent murders? Now, with privileged access to Chrissie's family and the families of several other victims, we search for the truth behind the deaths on Koh Tao and ask what is really going on in paradise?   

Produced by Blast! Films and Sky Studios. The three-part Sky Original series is commissioned by Zai Bennett, Sky's managing director of content and Poppy Dixon, director of documentaries and factual. Distribution is managed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution on behalf of Sky Studios. The series is directed by Jack Warrender, executive produced by Edmund Coulthard and Lindsay Shapero and produced by Ellen Arnold.

Notes to editors 

About Sky

Sky is Europe's leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. Across six countries, Sky connects 23 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content. 

Following the launch of Sky Glass, we now offer customers our strongest ever line-up of products and services. As well as the new streaming TV with Sky inside and everything integrated, customers can enjoy the award-winning Sky Q with all your favourite channels and apps in one place, and with Sky Go you can now access an even better experience on your devices. Sky TV has new channels, new shows and new deals with Peacock, Paramount+ and more. Sky Mobile was voted Best Pay Monthly and Best Value Pay Monthly network by Uswitch, and with Sky Broadband we're offering our fastest speeds yet.

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK's only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Sky Cinema is the home of Sky Original films with brand new films launching every month alongside an unrivalled range of the latest cinema releases and on demand library.

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We're committed to being Europe's first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we're proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26 - the UN Climate Change Conference. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we've been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity, and we've set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation.  We're also committed to investing £30million across our markets over the next three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.

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